January transfers to watch: Varane, Mbappé, Solanke, Toney،
The January transfer window is now open for the Premier League (check official dates in the rest of Europe here) and clubs are trying to strengthen their squads and prevent their best players from being tempted by their rivals.
And although the winter window is usually reserved for clubs needing to make up for poor summer recruiting or those suffering from injury problems, January offers the prospect of a decision by some important players.
So, with the window now open for business, who are the star players likely to be the focus of transfer interest this month?
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (US)
Ivan Toney
Arsenal and Chelsea are both keen to sign the £80m-rated striker this month, and Toney is likely to be the player at the center of January's biggest deal – if Brentford are prepared to offload him. The 27-year-old's eight-month ban for breaching the English Football Association's betting rules ends on January 16, but after being free to train for the past four months, he will be fit and ready to play as soon as his ban is over. finished could insert directly into a new team.
However, with Bryan Mbeumo, Brentford's top scorer with seven goals, out until March with an ankle injury, the club may be forced to put Premier League survival ahead of the chance to lift a huge transfer and to keep Toney since he scored 32 goals in 68. -steal games.
Kylian Mbappé
The chances of the Paris Saint-Germain striker leaving the Parc des Princes this month are slim but not impossible due to his contract expiring at the end of the season.
Real Madrid are long-term favorites to sign the 25-year-old France international and could negotiate a deal this month for Mbappe to move to Spain this summer.
But Real will be nervous about a Premier League club trying to do the same. With the financial strength of English teams, the cost of signing Mbappé as a free agent this summer, regardless of his salary, would not exceed that of Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester United.
Jadon Sancho
1:09
Would Sancho have a home at Man United if Ten Hag was fired?
Mark Ogden wonders if Jadon Sancho hopes to survive Erik ten Hag at Manchester United to regain a place in the first team.
Manchester United are desperate to offload Sancho and, banned from the first team since a public row with manager Erik ten Hag in September, the player also wants a quick exit from Old Trafford.
But with his former club Borussia Dortmund considering a loan move – and the Saudi Pro League also attracting some interest – United face a huge financial loss for the 23-year-old winger, who arrives in the near future. £73m transfer from Dortmund in 2021.
No one will match that outlay, but a loan will also be costly due to Sancho's £300,000-a-week salary. A loan with United subsidizing Sancho's wages is the only realistic outcome.
Conor Gallagher
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has made it clear he wants to keep the England midfielder, who has started 19 of the team's 20 league matches this season, but Gallagher's contract situation means he could be dismissed, with Tottenham, Newcastle and Crystal Palace all interested.
With 18 months left on his contract, Chelsea could reap around £50 million by moving Gallagher this month, with that money then reinvested in a striker such as Toney or Victor Osimhen from Napoli.
As a homegrown player, any remuneration for Gallagher would be seen as pure profit and therefore a major boost to Chelsea's attempts to comply with the Premier League's rules of profitability and sustainability. A decision would therefore be a financial decision rather than a footballing decision.
Raphaël Varane
Manchester United have not chosen to trigger the one-year option to extend Varane's contract, which expires in June, so the French defender may agree to a summer move to a non-Premier League club this month, or United could try to raise cash by offloading him this month.
With injured defenders Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martínez and Victor Lindelöf all set to return to fitness this month, manager Erik ten Hag could sanction Varane's departure due to interest from Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and the Saudi Pro League.
Although he is only 30, Varane's injury record and high wages have prompted United not to offer him a new contract, so a move this month is possible.
Victor Osimhen
The Napoli forward signed a contract extension last month which will extend his stay until the end of the 2025-26 season, but reports in Italy claim the new deal includes a £120million release clause and a Gentleman's Agreement to allow the 23-year-old attacker. old to move if this clause is triggered.
Both Arsenal and Chelsea are long-term admirers of the Nigeria international, who will spend January leading his country's bid to win the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
Napoli want to keep Osimhen, and their international commitments could help prevent a move this month. But if his release clause is met, a deal could be reached.
Kalvin Phillips
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he would not block a deal that would see Phillips leave the Etihad this month, after limiting the England midfielder to just a handful of appearances since arriving from Leeds for £42m in 2022.
Newcastle, Juventus and PSG are all interested in the 28-year-old, so Phillips' move is one of the most likely moves in January.
West Ham had shown serious interest in Phillips over the summer, but the Hammers have since reinvested the £100 million they received from Arsenal for the signing of Declan Rice.
João Palhinha
Palhinha has signed a new five-year contract at Fulham after a £55million move to Bayern Munich fell through in the final hours of the summer transfer window.
But despite his new deal, Fulham will face a fight to keep the Portuguese midfielder this month, with Bayern still interested and rival Premier League clubs also considering a move.
Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle are all in the market for a new midfielder, with varying budgets to complete a deal, but each could fund a move for the 28-year-old, a tough tackle, this month – this.
Aaron Ramsdale
1:33
Should Arsenal sign a striker to face the Premier League challenge?
The 'ESPN FC' team discusses Arsenal's 2-0 loss to West Ham and wonders if Mikel Arteta should pursue a striker in the January transfer window.
Despite signing a new four-year contract at Arsenal in May 2023, goalkeeper Ramsdale has lost the top spot to Brentford loanee David Raya and faces missing out on England's Euro 2024 squad he fails to return to the first team.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta does not want to get rid of Ramsdale this month, but if the Gunners receive a substantial offer to sign the former Sheffield United goalkeeper he could move on.
Newcastle are in the market for a new goalkeeper due to Nick Pope facing a long absence with a shoulder injury, so a loan move to St James' Park could be a great solution for everyone concerned.
Dominique Solanke
The former Chelsea and Liverpool striker signed a new four-year contract with Bournemouth in September, but his form this season – 12 goals in 19 Premier League matches – has attracted the attention of West Ham, while Chelsea and Arsenal view him as a potential alternative to priority targets Toney and Osimhen.
Although Bournemouth are under no pressure to offload players this month, they could make a huge profit on Solanke, having signed him from Liverpool for £19 million in 2018.
With manager Andoni Iraola having guided Bournemouth to mid-table, with a 10-point gap to the bottom three, any bid for Solanke would be considered with the club's Premier League safety at the forefront of any decision.
David of Gea
The former Manchester United goalkeeper has been a free agent since leaving Old Trafford last July. His future is therefore not linked to the opening of the transfer window, but he is in no hurry to find a new club despite summer interest from Real Madrid. , Inter Milan and clubs from Saudi Arabia.
The 33-year-old is being considered by both Newcastle and Nottingham Forest, although Man United have categorically dismissed speculation of a return to Old Trafford to replace Andre Onana as he represents Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations .
Sources have told ESPN that De Gea is waiting for the right offer but, after being out of action for six months, a return to action this month is increasingly likely.
